For 10 days, experts from the French NGO "Electricians without borders", Gerard Orain and Sylvain Peru, together with Nataliya Kabatsiy, director of the Charitable Organization "Charity Fund "Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya", worked in Ukraine to check the installation and operation of solar power plants at 16 sites covered by the second phase of the "Hybrid Solutions" project. 

As of the date of the audit, solar power plants with electricity accumulation systems for backup power were launched at the Transcarpathian Regional Children’s Hospital, the Transcarpathian Territorial Emergency Medical Care Center, the Regional Clinical Center of Neurosurgery and Neurology, the Center for Medical Rehabilitation and Palliative Care for Children "Virgin Mary" in Svalyava, the Regional Children’s Sanatorium "Malyatko", the Social Habilitation and Rehabilitation Center "Parasolka" (Tyachiv), the Mizhhirya Central District Hospital, the Dubove Hospital in Tyachiv district, the Horodok Central Hospital in Lviv region, works were ongoing at Perechyn Hospital, Regional Psychiatric Hospital (Uzhhorod branch), Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Clinical Children’s Hospital, and based on the results of the tender, works were planned at Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Phthisiopulmonary Center, Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital, and Kosiv Central District Hospital.

Talking to the heads of medical institutions, the monitoring mission found out that the issue of additional sources of electricity is quite relevant for hospitals, because in some the electricity is turned off according to schedules and during emergency outages, while others suffer from power surges. The new equipment compensates for the absence of centralized power supply within 3-5 hours and also protects the network from unstable current. After checking the quality of the work performed by the contractors to install and launch the solar power plants, the experts noted their overall compliance with the tender requirements. At the same time, recommendations were made for a number of facilities, such as tilting the location of solar panels or removing trees from the roofs of the panels. Taking these recommendations into account will improve the performance of the plants.

The solar power plants were tested immediately before and during the site visit. For example, at Mizhhirya Hospital, the SPP offset the effects of two short-term power outages that the hospital did not even notice. The director of the Center "Parasolka", Oksana Lukach, said that the station’s capacity was enough to support the facility during a 3-hour power outage, with the battery losing only 17% of its charge. This is important feedback for a comprehensive evaluation of the "Hybrid Solutions" project.

The monitoring mission also visited Nyzhnye Selyshche village, Khust district, where it met with representatives of the NGO "Transcarpathian Association of Local Development". In Nyzhnye Selyshche, with the support of the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya, a number of social initiatives are being implemented, which will receive energy support next year. 

At the end of the visit, Gerard Orain and Sylvain Peru took part in the launch of a solar power plant at the Transcarpathian Regional Clinical Center of Neurosurgery and Neurology.

"During our stay in Ukraine, we inspected 16 healthcare facilities in Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv regions where solar power plants are already operating or are being installed. The new equipment allows to partially neutralize the effects of power outages and create alternative sources of electricity, which is extremely important for hospitals. We understand the challenges Ukraine is facing in the energy sector and are glad to be able to contribute to the country’s social infrastructure, which is facilitated, among other things, by cooperation with local partners, namely the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya", the French expert said during a meeting at the medical facility.

The tender for the installation of a solar station with an electricity storage system for backup power at the regional neurosurgery was won by the Zakarpattia-based company ECO VOLT, which once technically implemented the pilot phase of the "Hybrid Solutions" project in Rivne region. Contractors from Zakarpattia, Kyiv, and Cherkasy regions are currently working on the project.

"Together with our partners, we have been looking for longer-term solutions for energy support for socially important institutions in Ukraine, and solar power plants have become such a solution, which have already been installed in 20 institutions in four regions in the west of the country under the "Hybrid Solutions" project. Currently, the project is ongoing, and tenders have been announced for more than 10 healthcare facilities in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions. Energy-efficient measures for our medical and social institutions are being implemented thanks to the people of France, as more than €1 million has been funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. This is a responsible and much-needed work, which we will jointly continue in 2025", summarized Nataliya Kabatsiy, director of the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya, during a meeting at the Regional Clinical Center of Neurosurgery and Neurology.

As a reminder, the "Hybrid Solutions" project is jointly implemented by the Charitable Organization "Charity Fund "Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya" and the French NGO "Electricians without borders" with funding from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The first phase, which covered four educational institutions in Rivne region, was positively evaluated by French experts, which allowed the project to be expanded both geographically and in terms of sectors.

Below you can find media coverage of the "Hybrid Solutions" project. 

Material from TV channel 21 (Uzhhorod)

Material from "Podrobytsi" on the TV channel INTER

And here you can read an informative article by the Ukrinform news agency.